Apple Products 2019: These 3 New Devices May Drop by Early Next Year

Apple gave fans a new iPad Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini at the tail end of 2018. The Cupertino-based company might follow that up with even more tablets as well as an AirPods peripheral.

The tech giant’s October event saw the most drastic iPad Pro redesign in its history, but with a $799 starting price the device was clearly tailored for the higher-end market. That’s why it’s not too surprising that a couple of Asian news outlets with access to Apple’s supply chain have already reported that the company will start the year by refreshing some of its slightly more affordable tablets.

A new iPad mini, entry-level iPad, and an AirPods wireless charging case could all make a debut before the first-half of 2019 is over. Here’s what we could see from each.

Apple Products 2019: iPad mini 5

On Tuesday the China Times reported that the iPad mini 5 will hit shelves early in 2019. The article that Inverse translated using Google Translate said a low-cost iPad mini would be put into production by the end of December. This bolsters Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s past prediction about a new iPad mini in the works.

Apple's tiniest tablet could see a refresh in early 2019.Apple

Apple decreased the price of its smallest iPad back in March 2017 with the 128GB variant now priced at $399. But the tiny tablet hasn’t received a full upgrade since 2015.

The report didn’t speculate how much an iPad mini 5 would cost or what exactly the new products would look like. But internal updates, an improved display, and potential Apple Pencil 2 support seem like likely possibilities.

Apple Products 2019: 10-Inch iPad

The same article stated that brand-new entry-level iPad could also see the light of day. Apple launched a $329, 9.7-inch iPad in March but a slightly larger, seventh generation model with a slimmer frame could be here very soon.

The 2018 9.7-inch iPad with Apple Pencil Support could soon have a successor.Apple

The China Times reports these two tablet updates are a push to fortify weak iPad sales.

Much like the iPad mini updates, it’s feasible that the 10-inch entry-level iPad could include marginal internal updates and Apple Pencil 2 support.

Apple Products 2019: AirPods Wireless Charging Case

Finally in a separate report, Kuo predicted that the AirPods will finally get their long-awaited wireless charging case. This won’t be a complete AirPods 2 overhaul, but the company could finally make good on an accessory that was announced in 2017.